Replacing my cracked iPhone 4 screen…

By on October 3, 2011 in Devices

On Sunday I was in Budgens (supermarket) in Ascot stocking up on rather boring salad materials, given the fact I am routinely being healthy. I had the wee man (“Archie”) with me — he was sat in the trolley — and I was shopping from the Evernote list that my wife compiled earlier.

And then disaster struck. For some silly reason I lost grip on the iPhone — my fancy 3 iPhone, no less — and boom, it had slapped on to the floor.

I knew it was bad news as I picked it up from the floor. I could see tiny crystals of glass spread all around the phone…

Arse. The phone still works. The touchscreen is still operational, it’s just the glass that is screwed.

And I don’t bother with insurance, generally.

So it’s up to me to fix it. Which I think will be an interesting exercise. I’m going to try and have the screen replaced by one of those online repair shops.

£79.99 I’ve been quoted. Let’s see how we get on. I shall tell you all about the experience.

 

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Ewan is Founder and Editor of Mobile Industry Review. He writes about a wide variety of industry issues and is usually active on Twitter most days. You can read more about him or reach him with these details.
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  • http://twitter.com/NickDavies NickD

    Have you tried going into an Apple store to see what they can do? I’ve heard they sometimes replace it without any hassle.

  • http://jamesvincentuk.blogspot.com james vincent

    oh no! correct me if i’m wrong, but i get the impression that apple product screens crack so easily. My htc has been thrown [by accedent] & droped from various hights many a time with no damage at all [apart from the bronze coating getting a little scratched on the back but no bother]
    Do let us know how you get on though

  • http://twitter.com/HanTot Darren G

    thats the in built upgrade chip, has to commit suicide so you buy a iPhone5/4S

  • Natalie Mac Lean

    I have exactly the same problem (I dropped mine this morning and a car ran over it! Whilst the phone itself works perfectly, the glass is falling out).  I went to Apple store at lunch and was quoted £139 for a replacement phone. 
     
    By getting an online repair shop to replace the glass, it voids the warranty and so I wasn’t sure if this was worth the gamble further down the line.
     
    It is my 3rd iPhone and I’ve not had any problems until now.

  • Anonymous

    One new data point for your analysis – I have dropped my iphone many times including once from a height of about 10 feet onto a concrete surface and it is still very much intact, albeit slightly scuffed around the edges.  The screen is perfect though.

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    I’ve got a lot of scuffs… but the horizontal slap on to the floor of Budgens was the final straw for the screen unfortunately!

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    Nick, I gave that some thought — but I reckoned it unlikely they’d do something as nice as replace it there-and-then!

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    I seriously do not rate myself good enough to do that myself Rezza!

  • Alex Kerr

    Get a Nokia. Not joking. The N8 survives multi-metre (e.g. 3+, or 2 storey) drops onto concrete unprotected with barely the tiniest of scratches on it. Apple will never match Nokia build quality or robustness.

  • http://www.mobileindustryreview.com Ewan

    I think you’re entirely right Alex

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